Don't Fear The Reaper
by WolfmanX
Summary: A young man from a tiny village in the mountains has come to Orario to join a great familia and become the greatest swordsman in the world. What familia will he join? What obstacles will he encounter in his quest? And who will he meet along the way? (Updates and revisions to chapters will occur. Reviews and constructive criticism greatly appreciated. Updated 03/01/2017)
1. Prologue

Orario, the Labyrinth City.

Nothing could have prepared the young man for the sights before his very eyes.

Having just passed through one of the city's main gates, his eyes were overwhelmed by everything that lay ahead. People, people, people….people everywhere. Hundreds of them…maybe thousands…just on this one street. And not just Humans either…Dwarves, Elves, Beastmen, Prums, Amazons, and many others in between. Buildings were everywhere too. Shops, stalls, stores, restaurants, houses, storage buildings, and almost no space to speak of between any of them. Any trees, plants, or flowers were few and far between. For a young man from a tiny village in the mountains, the first glimpses of a huge metropolis, like Orario, were simply too much. At best, his village had a total population size of thirty, and it was composed entirely of humans. He was awestruck at this change in scale and magnitude from his home. With eyes wide open, he wandered down the street, afraid to blink for fear of missing something. With his mouth agape and eyes darting all over the place, he started drawing quite a bit of attention to himself.

For those that lived in the city, the sights and sounds around them were perfectly normal and mundane. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Everything was the same as the day before. However, there was one out of the ordinary sight today. There was a young man walking down the street, mouth wide open, attempting to take in every aspect of the city in front of him. Obviously, a tourist or someone new to the city. His mannerisms alone would have drawn attention. However, the young man's physical appearance was stranger still. First, he was tall, lean, and appeared to be very strong. He was built like a stone wall…solid and unyielding. Secondly, his clothes. He wore a torn and tattered traveler's cloak. Impromptu patchwork and repairs were spread all over it. Underneath the cloak, he wore armor, like a warrior or an adventurer from the city. The outline of a round shield could be seen through his cloak. It was very large. Multiple weapons hung from his belt or were strapped to his back also. Beneath the armor, his clothes were in the same condition as his cloak. They were tattered and worn out. Flecks of mud and dirt were everywhere. Even if his clothes had been clean and in pristine condition, they were clearly poor. He was not a man accustomed to luxury.

After a few minutes, the young man began to notice the looks and whispers of the people on the streets and quickly closed his mouth to draw less attention to himself. His eyes still darted from side to side, catching sights and scenes through his peripheral vision. One thing that overwhelmed him more than all the new sights was the sheer amount of noise assailing his ears. People on all sides called out to him. "Freshest vegetables in the city!" "Sharpest swords and axes in Orario! All on sale!" "Beef, pork, chicken, fish…best prices you'll find here, young sir!" It was all too much. He had to focus very hard to block out the countless voices and ambient noises surrounding him. It was something he'd never had to do before in his village. It was a little disconcerting.

He came to an abrupt stop next to a vegetable stand and pulled a very tattered piece of paper out of his pocket. The paper had been folded, crumpled, opened, and closed to the point of almost falling apart. He looked at it briefly as he had countless times before.

 _Finally, I'm here. It's time to find my familia!_

The young man gently folded the paper back up, placed it into his pocket, and began walking down the street once more. With a renewed sense of purpose, he began searching both sides of the street…


	2. Embarassment and Introduction

_I've been walking for hours. Where am I supposed to go? How am I supposed to find my familia like this?_

The young man had finally stopped to rest. He'd been walking through the city streets for at least two hours, maybe longer. Being new to Orario, he was completely lost. He had tried to find the home bases for a certain few familia, but he had no clue where to start looking. He didn't know anyone in the city, so he didn't have a friend or contact that could point him in the right direction. Truth be told, he didn't even know the layout of the city.

 _How could I come to Orario without a map of the city! ARRRGGGGHHH! No! Right now a map would be useless. I need to know where to go first!_ _Wait! Where am I anyway? ARGHHHH! This is pathetic!_

Looking around quickly, he noticed a large, wooden building right behind him for the first time. He had been so absorbed in his frustration that he hadn't even noticed where he had stopped to catch his breath. It was a pub or tavern of some kind. There were tables and chairs in the street in front of it at the moment. He inferred that it doubled as a café of sorts during the daytime and afternoon, but nobody was sitting at any of the tables yet. He surmised that the tavern had just opened for lunch.

 _Maybe somebody in here can help me. Would it hurt to ask? They might laugh at me…but I need to know where I am. Directions or a map will be useless unless I have a starting point for reference. Who knows? I might get lucky, and they'll know where I need to go!_

Reading the sign near the door, the young man slowly whispered the words, "The Hostess of Fertility." The words came slowly and in individual syllables, as if the young man had a difficult time reading the letters. After reading the sign, he turned to the front door and walked inside.

As he walked in the front door, a female catperson looked his way and said excitedly, "Welcome, nyaa!" As his eyes adjusted to the dimmed light, the tavern interior came into view. All the employees he could see were female. They all wore the same uniform as well. He could see two cat beastwomen, one with brown hair, the one that had greeted him, and one with black hair. There was also a human girl with gray hair. As he had suspected, they appeared to have only just opened for the day. He had to be one of the first customers of the day.

All three of the young ladies turned to see their first customer. It was a rather unusual young man. He was tall and looked very strong. His features were rugged and somewhat wild, like a wanderer or a drifter from the wilderness, but beneath those wild features, he was rather handsome. However, his good looks were being obscured by the mud and dirt that appeared here and there on his clothes. Since almost all of the ladies here were adventurers at one time or another, they were very good at assessing people and scrying useful information based on appearance and body language alone. This young man was not one of their regular customers, but his appearance was a treasure trove of information.

Almost everything about him screamed that he had struggled for survival his entire life. His worn and dirty clothes. The armor and weapons he had strapped to his body. Even his face and the way he kept looking around the tavern suggested that he was used to constantly being on alert. He was aware of all his surroundings, using his senses to the limit in order to probe the environment.

His body language and the way he carried himself implied that he was a warrior that had survived countless brushes with death. However, none of these were his most prominent features. His most prominent features were his eyes and hair.

His hair was white like freshly fallen snow. It was not gray or white, like a man's hair becomes as he ages. It was pure white and pristine, like snow right after it settles on the ground and before it is soiled. The young ladies all thought the same thing. They knew of only one other person that had hair like that, but they couldn't believe there was any relation. Other than the hair, this young man had absolutely nothing in common with the boy flashing through their minds. As prominent as his white hair was, it was still outshined by the young man's eyes. His eyes were the color of pure sapphires, a deep blue. Looking into his eyes was like looking into the depths of the ocean, an endless expanse of crystal-blue water beneath the waves.

After a quick look around, the young man found his voice and said, somewhat awkwardly, "P-Please excuse my interruption." At the same time, he bowed quickly to show respect.

"Nyaa. Welcome customer-san, nyaa. No need to be bashful. You're our first customer of the day, nyaa. We just opened for lunch." The brown-haired, cat beastwoman gave a hearty welcome to the young man that had just walked in. He stood up straight again as Anya was giving her welcoming greeting.

"Our lunch special today is roasted chicken, marinated in herbs and spices with a…" Before she could finish, Anya paused mid-sentence when she saw the look on the young man's face. He was staring at her! Rather, he was staring at the ears on top of her head and her tail, swishing happily back and forth behind her. His mouth was agape and his eyes were zipping back and forth between her ears and tail. His head was also slightly cocked to the right, as if he was a child observing something interesting. The other two waitresses had stopped what they were doing and observed with amusement. They suppressed giggles of laughter behind their hands. After a few moments of this, she become irritated, and her smile changed to a frown.

"NYAA! Even if you are a customer-san, nyaa, it's very rude to stare at someone, you know? Nyaa."

This statement snapped him out of his examination-like stupor. It took only a second for his face to turn completely red as he realized that he had been staring at a complete stranger…and a lady at that.

He quickly bowed lower this time and exclaimed, "I truly apologize! I have been very rude! I did not realize that I was staring! But...but…that does not excuse my rudeness! Please forgive me!" He said all of this very quickly. Though you could hear the embarrassment and sincerity in his voice, his statements were somewhat awkward and mechanical, almost as if he had rehearsed these lines many times before…

He looked up slightly after several moments of bowing. He could see the black-haired cat beastwoman and the gray-haired human woman giggling and smiling a little ways off, clearly amusemed at the interaction between him and the brown-haired cat beastwoman. His red face became even redder. He mustered his courage and looked up a little more to see the face of the brown-haired cat beastwoman that he was doing his best to apologize to properly.

His face paled when he saw a look of surprise on her face right before she smiled brightly.

"HAHA…nyaa…as long as you realize what you did wrong…nyaa…I'll accept your apology since you are so sorry…nyaa. Just remember...nyaa...it's bad manners to stare at a lady so boldly like that...even beautiful ladies can be very self-conscience...nyaa."

After a few moments of shock, the young man stood up straight again and smiled slightly as the blood began rushing from his face back to the rest of his body. However, there was still a red tint to his cheeks. As if suddenly remembering something, he shook off his embarassment and said, "It is considered common courtesy to give my name first in a situation like this. Please forgive me." He bowed slightly before saying, "My name is Arthas. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintances."


	3. Destination and Purpose

_A quick word to my story followers… I apologize for the tardiness of this chapter. The last couple of months have been very busy and turbulent. This is the first real chance I had to devote significant time to the story. I know the story is starting off slow, but I want to establish my OC character properly before he plunges headfirst into Orario. Please bear with me. I believe I have a good story here that will lead to great places. The intros are almost done….._

Anya grinned slyly at the young man, who was once again bowing in front of her. She toyed with the idea of teasing him a little more but decided against it. If she teased a customer too much, she was likely to receive a punch from Mama Mia or Ryuu.

"Arthas…huh? What a polite young man you are…nyaa. Well...I'm Anya"

Anya gestured to herself and then pointed to the other two ladies in the room.

"The two foolish ladies giggling at you back there are Syr and Chloe. Don't feel too embarrassed…nyaa. They're only laughing because you were making a fool of yourself…nyaa. "

Anya flashed another quick smile as Arthas's face flushed beet-red once again.

"I can't tell if you're still making fun of me or me or not," Arthas replied.

"Hmm?" Anya showed a dumbfounded look on her face as if he had just said something very stupid.

"At any rate, it is a pleasure to meet you, Anya," Arthas said. He straightened up and turned to Chloe and Syr before bowing slightly. "It is a pleasure to meet both of you ladies as well. Please forgive my rudeness."

Chloe and Syr both smiled and bowed slightly to reciprocate his gesture.

The next moment, two more ladies came in from the other room, each carrying a chair in their arms. One was another human female with light brown hair. The other woman was a female elf with golden-blonde hair.

"Oh! And those two are Ryuu and Lunoire," Anya added as the ladies entered the room.

Arthas's mouth fell open, and his eyes became wide as soon as Ryuu entered the room. His mind could only come up with one word to describe the woman he saw. BEAUTIFUL…but even that word was far too common and plain to describe her. All the ladies in the room were pretty…beautiful even…but she was something else. The kind of beauty you here about in legendary stories and songs, but few men ever truly find that sort of beauty in the real world. Ethereal…dazzling…gorgeous…beautiful…

Having learned his lesson about staring from his conversation with Anya, it took every ounce of willpower for Arthas to tear his gaze away and close his mouth as he straightened up from bowing. Even though he did this very quickly, his actions did not go unnoticed. Ryuu had seen his reaction…even if none of the others had.

"You're all being quite loud in here. I thought I should come and remind you that Mama Mia will be very angry if we don't finish preparations in time for opening," Ryuu said calmly as she carried her chair to an empty table. "Anya…you remember what happened last time, yes?" Ryuu added.

Anya paled for a moment, recalling the bump on her head she had received a few weeks ago for wasting time during preparations. She rubbed the spot where she had received the blow out of reflex and winced. Mama Mia was terrifying when she was mad! Chloe and Syr looked at each other briefly before quickly heading off to finish their chores.

Ryuu set her chair down and began walking toward Anya and Arthas. "Anya…you're not teasing another customer again, are you?" Ryuu asked, "I assume you remember our discussion about how you shouldn't do that?" There was just the slightest note of a threat in her words, but everyone (even Arthas) caught the undertone.

Anya winced again and said, "Ryuu…you dummy…sadist dummy…nyaa…that welt took a week to heal…ya know…nyaa?" Anya gestured to Arthas and said, "I wasn't teasing the customer…..much...this time…He was staring…so I corrected him and explained that beautiful ladies, like us, don't like to be stared at…and he apologized...nyaa."

Lunoire paused on her way back to the kitchen, "Anya…he can't be a customer…we aren't open yet."

Ryuu sighed and replied, "Go and finish your chores, Anya. I will attend to Arthas-san."

"Ryuu…you dummy…are you trying to steal him from me…NYAA? How do you even know his name? And you have chores too…NYAA!" Anya replied.

"I know his name, because you said it so loudly, Anya. At this point, I think everyone in the tavern knows his name," replied Ryuu. "I will attend to him, because I already finished my chores…also, don't you think you should finish washing your dishes before Mama Mia hits you on the head again?"

After a third round of painful memories flashed through her mind, Anya ran off to the kitchen while yelling, "Blue eyes-san! Don't let stupid Ryuu steal you away from me…NYAA! Be sure to order lots of food from me when I finish the dishes…NYAA!"

Unsure of what to say or how to act, Arthas merely stood there with a puzzled expression on his face as Anya disappeared into the kitchen. He then turned to Ryuu and did his best not to stare at her.

"I apologize. I did not realize that you were in the middle of preparations."

Ryuu bowed slightly and said, "I am sorry Arthas-san. We are not currently open yet. We begin serving within the hour if you would like to return then."

William blinked. Her words were polite but almost emotionless. A stoic calmness emanated from her. Even so, her enchanting face threatened to capture his gaze again. He tried to look into her eyes, but even then, he almost lost his focus. He began to alternate between looking around the tavern and glancing at her briefly.

Ryuu noticed this and chose not to say anything, but after a few moments, she asked, "Are you alright, Arthas-san?"

Finally able to look her in the eyes, Arthas replied, "Yes….I'm sorry….I did not mean to intrude. The truth is that I am not a customer." He took a deep breath and continued, "I arrived in the city this morning. I became lost while wandering through the streets. I came across your tavern and thought someone inside might be able to point me in the right direction."

Sympathetic of his plight, Ryuu revealed a very small smile and replied, "I understand. The city is very large, and a newcomer can easily get lost if they do not know the city's layout. Did you receive a map at the gate where you entered this morning? I believe they still give them out at the city gates."

Embarrassed once again, Arthas looked down at the floor before saying, "I did not. I didn't know they had maps at the gate. I am sorry. Had I known, I would have asked for one."

Arthas looked back up and added, "However, even with a map, I believe I still would have gotten lost."

"Why is that?" Ryuu asked.

Arthas replied, "Because I do not know where my destination lies. I do not have an address or even a street to use as a reference for my search. "

"Hmm….let's go over to the bar. Perhaps I can help point you in the right direction," Ryuu suggested.

They both walked over to the bar and pulled out two stools before sitting down.

"Arthas-san. Where is it you are going? What are you looking for in the city?" Ryuu asked.

Arthas reached into his pocket and pulled out the old, tattered piece of paper that he carried with him wherever he went. He smiled slightly while looking at it before looking back at Ryuu. With steel-like conviction, he said, "I am looking for the Zeus Familia's home."

Ryuu's brow furrowed and she cocked her head slightly to the side. She had expected several answers, (the Guild, the Pleasure District, etc.) but that was not one of them. She was clearly caught off guard. Anyone who knew Ryuu knew that she rarely showed this much emotion to anyone. Why would anyone be looking for the Zeus Familia in Orario?

"You said the Zeus Familia, Arthas-san?" Ryuu asked calmly.

"Yes! I have to find them. That's the reason I came to Orario", Arthas said excitedly, "I came to join the Zeus Familia, the strongest Familia in all of Orario."

 _*Note: Yes. I know Ryuu's hair is originally green in the light novel, because she dyes it to hide her identity. However, I like her natural hair color more...it makes her even more beautiful. And...that is how I first saw it in the anime...so that is why I went with blonde._


End file.
